Wyoming County Intl. Speedway 5/20/2017
Season opener at the Bullring left no one sitting during the features….
It was Lent Builders night at the season opener at the Wyoming County Intl. Speedway Saturday night. This night was to celebrate the contributions the Lent family has given the racers at WCIS over the past few decades. The race teams they support had a great showing on this special night.
SST Super Stocks were the first of the three main divisions at WCIS to grace the racing surface. With a few new teams adding to this competitive group it only made racing more exciting. The main event was brought to green with a Wiley veteran of Dave Krawczyk in his beautifully prepared#11k and the always exciting Joe Horvatits in his super sharp Red Rocket #4. As the green waved it was Krawczyk that took the early lead but Horvatits was hanging on his rear quarter panel for the next hand full of laps till the power of the 11k stretched a lead to about 5 cars as the 25 lap feature concluded. The race for third was heated between the 09 Logsdon, 20 Chenaille and 47 Hastreiter. Hastrieter would be in the show position as the checkered flew Saturday night.
4 Cylinders graced the racing surface next. The always thrilling Economy class put on a show as we saw 12 of the best 4-cylinders light the track up for their 20 lap main event. Thru luck of the draw, we found the 27 of Virts on the pole with Jason Pierce’s 5 outside. Virts would take the early lead and what appeared to be a run away win changed when the % of Pierce made heavy contact with the turn 4 wall. Pierce walked away unscaved, but that could not be said for his car. “I think the car is a total, but we will fix or rebuild and be back to race again.” Said Pierce. That now put Paul Flye on Virts’s outside. Flye is now the owner of the former Mike Hyman machine. The green flew after the clean-up from the Pierce wreck and Flye used the outside lane to power past the Virts 27 machine. Virts tried to re-gain the lead but to no avail. They would be followed to the line by Dennie, Parthemer and Bradshaw.
New this year is the WCIS version of the Super 6 class. It is a very economical way of going racing. You start out with a mid-size car with a 6 cylinder engine add a roll cage and go racing. Information on this class can be found on-line at The BullRing or contacting the track at (585) 237-2510. Open the night for this class we saw John Perthemer win with his Ninja Turtles themed racecar. Followed by Frank Parsons Jr and Tammi Perthemer.
The BIG DOGS, the SST Modifieds were the night-cap for opening night. Close to 100 years of racing lead this field to the green. Dick Kluth and Tommy Weist, both veterans of racing with over 40 years each, both cars carrying the Lent Builders sponsorship on this celebrated opening night. Green would fly on this main event and see Kluth jump to the early lead with Toad Bradshaw in tow. Charging from his 7th starting spot was Bookmiller in his super-fast, orange Lent Builders #40. About half way the lap traffic became a factor as Kluth got caught up behind a lap car which opened the door for Bradshaw to slide by on the low side and bring the charging Bookmiller with him. A few laps later Bookmiller passed the #00 of Bradshaw for the lead. Also charging from his 8th starting spot was the #14 of Dan Majchrzak. Who was our Modified champion in 2016 and would end up passing Bradshaw for second. Bradshaw would be followed to the line by Kluth, and Nate Michielsen to round out the top 5.
Next week at the Bullring is Military Appreciation Night. 50 laps SST Modifieds.
All Military personnel and veterans will be admitted free with their military ID cards and one guest to accompany them. Come out and support our men and women that have and always will.
